Carpet-sweeper



(Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. W. ZEIGLER.

CARPET SWEEPER- 7 No. 280,435. Paterited July 3, 1883.

lU Z N. PETERSv Phcto-Lhhagnpher. wasmngton. DC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF CE.

GEORGE XV. ZEIGLER, OF NORVALK, OHIO.

CARPET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,435, dated July 3, 1883.

- Application tiled September 15, 1882. (Modelz) To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE W. ZEIGLER, of Norwalk, in the county of Huron and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carpet-Sweepers; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and complete description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

This invention has for its object the sweeping of carpets by means of a revolving brush inclosed in a case. Said brush is operated by a belt and pulleys so arranged as to be in fric tional contact with a drivingwheel provided with a rubber tire, upon which and a supplementary wheel the case is carried while the brush is sweeping. The contact of the driving-wheel with the above-said belt and pulleys continues only during the operation of the brush, which is disengaged therefrom by lifting the case from the floor by the handle, for

the purpose of emptying the accumulated -ence Will be made.

Like letters of reference denote like parts.

The case above alluded to consists of a sheetmetal top, A, Figs. 1 and 6, secured to castmetal end plates, B and 0, Figs. 6 and 7 Said figures show an inside view of the plates, in which it will be seen that each plate is provided with a bordering flange, D, between which and the series of nibs a the ends of the sheet-metal top is secured, as seen in Fig. 6. The rear side of the case consists.of a wooden panel, E, Fig. 6, joined to the sheet-metal top, which is bent down partly over the side to meet the panel, in which the edge of the metal is sunk or otherwise secured. The lower part of the front side of the case is a cast-metal The other.

of the top is bent down and laps upon the metal plate F, the edge of which is rabbeted out to receive the downward-bent edge of the top, which, together with themetal plate, form the front side of the case, as the rear side is made up of the wood panel and bent-down edge of the top. The bottom or floor of the case is of wood, G, Figs. 6 and 3, hinged at the points I) in the end plates thereof by pivotal pins, (indicated by the dotted lines 6.) Said bottom forms a door, upon which the sweepings are gathered, and which. is opened for emptying the-case. \Vheu closed, it is held fast by an ear and pin, H, Figs. 1 and Opposite the curved plate F, above alluded to, is a duplicate plate, I. Said two plates have a circumierential relation to each other, as seen in Fig. 6, and form a portion of the bottom of the ease and a chamber in which the revolving brush J is situated, the shaft K of which is journalcd in the end plate of the case and the shell 0. The several parts of the case, when adjusted to each other, as above described, are securedtransversely by screw-rods L, Fig. 3,

On one rear corner of the case is a driving wheel, M, Fig. 1, of which N is the shaft on which the wheel turns. The shaft passes through the end plate (1 of the case in an elongated hole, 0, Fig. 7, in which it is free to move vertically, for a purpose presently to be shown.

Surrounding the elongated hole 0 is a circular depression or recess, a, in which is fitted the hub l? of the handle or shank for a handle, Q, Figs. 1. and 5, through which hub the shaft N of the wheel M'passes, the hub 1 being free to turn thereon for moving the handle in different positions for driving the sweeper. The recess 0 alluded to is 1TG-61lfOTCGd on one side by a rib, d, Fig. 7, against which the hub of the handle may have a firm bearing. Said recess 0 extends to a shoulder, c, Fig. 7, formed by the end of a crescent-shaped flange, R, along the inner side of the end of the plate G. I

From the shoulder 15 to the point f is also a flange, 1', extending from the bottom of the recess upward, but not so high above the face of the plate as the flange R, as seen in Fig. 10, which. shows an edge view of a section of the plate 0. V

From one side of the handle projects a lug, A, which, when the hub of the handle is placed in the recess of the plate, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, will be 011 the outer side of the plate, and the flanges 1t and 2' between said lug and the side of the handle or shank Q, as seen in Fig. 1, so that on turning the handle to the position shown in Fig. l the side thereof opposite the lug will drop sidewise into the space between the shoulder e and the point at f, in which space the handle will be held in a vertical position by the said shoulder 0, so that the sweeper can be lifted from the floor in a horizontal position, the weight being sustained by the flange 17, and the rib or shoulder m, Figs. 5 and S, caught under said flange, as seen. in Fig. 2). Further reference will be had to this part of the sweeper. As aforesaid, the brush is revolved by a belt and pulleys, one of which is secured to the shaft of the brush and is in dicated by the dotted lines 02, Fig. 2. The companion pulley is seen at B. A portion of the shell (3, in which the pulleys and belt are inclosed, is represented as broken away, that the pulley B and belt may be seen.

It will be observed that the belt and pulley are in contact with the rubber band or tire of the driving-wheel, and are thereby operated by frictional contact as the wheel revolves. By the arrangement of the driving-wheel M on one end, at the rear, and the wheel G on the other end, somewhat in advance of M, the weight of the sweeper is so adjusted that when being used to sweep, the gravity of the sweeper keeps the wheel M in frictional. contact with the belt, and all the parts move in concert without effort; but should the friction. not prove sufficient at any time the operator, by bearing down with the handle upon the brush, brings more friction between the belt and the driving-wheel M. As I use only one drivingwheel, the tread is made very broad, to give a sufiieient friction with the carpet or the floor to be swept, and in practice has been proved to be superior in its effect to any other sweeper employing narrow wheels and necessarily more than one, whereas by using only one broad driving-wheel, and the second one acting only as a support for the sweeper and independently of the other, the sweeper can be readily turned by the hand, bearing the (li'ivi1ig-\\-'l1e.eli11 the proper direction and acting as a moving pivot.

The abovesaid shell 0 is a separate part of the machine, and is attached to the end of the case by the shaft on which the pulley B revolves and the nut 1), Fig. 8. The lower end of the shell is secured by the screw-rod L, passing through a slot, E, Fig. 2, and a corresponding slot, F, Fig. 4, in an ear, G, secured to the end of the sweeper, as seen in Fig. 8. By means of the slots the brush can be lowered, so that it may touch the floor when worn back and too short to sweep the floor clean.

' Briefly, the practical operation of the above described carpet-sweeper is as follows: It is placed upon the floor, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and by means of a long handle, N, secured to the shank Q, it is pushed or pulled along over the floor upon the driving-wheel M and the wheel G. As the brush revolves it sweeps the floor as the frontof the case slides thereon. The dust and dirt is swept back over the plate F onto the bottom G. From thence it is discharged, when necessary, by opening the bot tom or door. To this end the handle N is lifted to an upright position, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. This position, as above said, causes the handle or shank Q thereof to spring into the space above the shoulders c, Fig. 7, and the nib or shoulder at of the handle-shank to catch under the flange 'i of the space, by which the sweeper can be lifted while in a horizontal position from the floor by thehandle N. Said horizontal position is sustained by the shoulder 0. The weight of the sweeper, when lifted, causes the shank and handle to be securely held in the said space and hard against the shoulder c. The direct contact of the driving-wheel with the belt and pulley is broken. Thus on lifting the sweeper from the floor, which is done by the lilting/force bein applied to the case, said case is lifted a little before the driving-wheel is, by virtue of the slotted hole 0, Fig. 7, through which the shaft of the wheel passes, as above described. Said hole allows the case to be raised far enough before the wheel is lifted to sever the contact of the wheel and pulley,,so that the wheel may be turned without turning the brush. It will be obvious that on placing the sweeper again on the floor the driving-wheel will first touch the floor and the case will drop far enough, by virtue of the slotted hole, to cause the contact of the driving-wheel and belt-pulley for operating the brush.

The handle N of the shank above alluded to is tapering and halfround, and has cut thereon a thread or section of a screw-thread, as seen in Fig. 5, by which it may be screwed into a handle. (Not shown in the drawings.)

It will be observed that the driving-wheel is situated at the rear corner of the machine, and that the wheel G is placed in advance of it, on the opposite end, about midway between the front and rear sides of the case. The ob ject in placing the wheel G in advance of the driving-wheel M is to prevent too much of the weight of the case from being thrown up on the front side thereof, causing the sweeper to slide easily over the floor, which it would not do were the two wheels abreast, as they are ordinarily arranged in carpet-sweepers. 111 having the pulley B and the driving-wheel impinge upon each other a pulley by the side of the wheel is avoided, which not only makes the machine narrower and neater in appearance, but prevents the belt from slipping as it is pressed between the driving-wheel and pulley.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. ln carpet-sweepers,the case thereof, consisting of the end plates, B and C, sheet-metal top A, and plates F'and l, hinged door or bottom G, and panel E, adapted to and fitted to each other, as described, and secured by screw-rods, substantially as set forth, and for the purpose specified.

2. The plate 0, having in one end thereof an elongated hole for the admission and play of the shaft N of the driving-wheel, recess a, flanges R and i, and shoulder e, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. I11 combination with the plate 0, provided with nibs a a, as described, of the case of a carpet-sweeper, constructed as described, the shank or handle Q, provided with a lug, shoulder m, and hub, adapted to fit the recess in said plate 0, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In combination with the case of the car- 20 pet-sweeper, herein described, the adjustable shell 0, having in the end thereof a slotted opening, E, ear G, provided with a slotted opening, F, corresponding to the opening E, for the admission. of the screw-rod L for ad- 25 justing the brush in the case, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

"In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE \V. ZEIGLER. 

